Petersburg School District - Home of the Vikings

URGENT: Due to the continuing increase in Covid positive cases related to secondary school staff and students, with extensive contact tracing efforts underway, Mitkof Middle School and Petersburg High School ONLY will move to remote learning for the remainder of the day (Sept. 28). The buses will be available for student pick up starting at 11:05 am and students may grab a lunch on the way out. Stedman Elementary School will remain in session at this time. Check your email, Facebook, and pcsd.us website for specific building information and schedules or if the closure will last longer.

In late August, school districts were notified by the Department of Education that they would be involved in identifying and notifying close contacts of known positive Covid cases in the schools, due to the increased number of positive cases in the state overall. Identified school administrative staff work in conjunction with Public Health to determine circumstances for exposure, but Public Health will not be interviewing/monitoring school identified close contacts in these situations. Public Health will still interview all positive cases and any close contacts identified outside of the school settings. This is a departure from how things were done last year, so we appreciate your continued patience as we work through this public health process in our school setting. If you have specific questions or concerns about this new change to procedure, or would like to discuss close contact determinations for your child, please contact Public Health directly at 772-4611 or contact building/district administration.

We have been notified of several students who have recently tested positive for Covid. The District will return to universal masking (red status) while contact tracing efforts are underway. At this point, there are no school or classroom closures and we will remain in person. If your child is a close contact, you will be notified by the school. HS activity practices are cancelled for today. Please monitor your email, One Call text, and social media for updates.

A message from Seaprints Photography regarding Stedman Elementary school portraits: I’m looking forward to taking your student’s photos Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. If you have any questions, please use the contact information below! The prepay order link 'RSE 2021' is now live! Enter your student’s name and it will fill in below. You can complete multiple student’s at the same school on one order form. https://myproimages.com/seaprints-photography/code/0DTZK Must pre-order by: 09/26/2021 Studio Contact Information Seaprints Photography Seaprints@gci.net (907) 518-0712

Mitkof Middle School Back to School night is tonight at 6:30pm. We will start in the auditorium, then move to the library to talk with teaching staff. Hope to see all our parents tonight! Chromebooks will go home with students on Thurs and Friday this week.

The School Board will be discussing the Covid Mitigation Plan (School Reopening Plan) at a work session and at their regular School Board meeting in the coming weeks. They are looking for input on the proposed mitigation plan. Please provide feedback in the linked survey, comments on this Facebook post will not be used as an official form of feedback. Follow this link: https://5il.co/x5jq to see the plan and to provide comments, the survey link is at the end of the document.

UPDATE MMSXC - NO PRACTICE for MMS Cross Country today September 3, 2021. Have a great weekend!

Have you checked out our School District App? Lots of information at your fingertips: *Activity/School Event Calendar *Lunch Menu *School District News articles All on the Home Screen! Download the app on Android: https://bit.ly/3vScKMy or iPhone: https://apple.co/3ulgvtq

Important Dates for the District!

School Start Times & Bus Schedule Times. Masks required on the bus per Federal Mandate.

FAQ’s Question: Can I walk my child into school on the first day? Answer: Of course, please bring a mask when entering the building. We are required to wear masks when indoors at any of our schools. Question: Can I pick-up my child from school? Answer: Of course, we would like to keep our hallways clear (regardless of COVID or not). So, if you come early to pick-up your child please wait outside until one minute prior to the school bell ringing at 2:45. Noise in the hallways disrupts learning in the classrooms and small groups in the hallways. Question: Where does my child go prior to the bell ringing? Answer #1: If your child is in kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grade please drop them off at the primary end near the playground. Kindergarten, 2nd, and 3rd grade will meet their teachers under the covered playground area. 1st grade will meet their teachers under the covered area by the primary entrance. Answer #2: If your child is in 4th or 5th grade please drop them off at the intermediate end near the covered area. 4th and 5th graders will meet their teachers under the covered area. Answer #3: All students will be able to enter the building at 8:00am when the bell rings. If they are not entering with their class at 8:00am they will be considered tardy. Stedman Bulletin for August 30th ~Important Dates~ August 30th NO SCHOOL 31st 1st - 5th Grade FIRST DAY September 1st Kindergarten FIRST DAY Intro to My Child conferences 3-7 2nd Intro to My Child conferences 3-7 3rd NO SCHOOL 6th NO SCHOOL (Labor Day) 7th Preschool FIRST DAY ~2021-2022 School Year~ Preschool Schedule Start September 7th Tuesday-Friday 8:00-12:00 Kindergarten Schedule Start September 1st Monday-Friday 8:00-11:15 Starting September 20th Monday-Thursday 8:00-1:15 Friday 8:00-12:00 1st - 5th Grade Schedule Monday - Thursday 8:00-2:45 Friday 8:00-12:00 After School Clubs Afterschool Recess - Sign-up At Conferences Starts: September 7th Days and Times: M-Th 3:00-3:30 (Ms. Rocky & Ms. Audra) Friday 12:00-1:00 (Ms. Rocky, Ms. Audra, Mr. Brock, & Ms. Marifern) Homework Busters - Ms. Marketa (All Grades) MONDAY-THURSDAY 3:00-3:45 Starts: Monday, September 13th Students Council - Mr. K/Mrs. Wilkes (Grades: 3-5) THURSDAY 3:00-3:45 Starts: Thursday, September 16th 4 Square Club - Mrs. Wilkes/Mr. K (Grades: 3-5) TUESDAY 3:00-3:45 Starts: Tuesday, September 14th Please like Petersburg School District on Facebook ~Swim Schedule~ Swim: Students need to bring a swimsuit and towel Week of August 31st 8:45-9:30 Mrs. Midkiff 9:30-10:15 Mr. Eddy 10:15-11:00 Mr. K 11:45-12:30 Mrs. Eddy and Mrs. Allison 12:30-1:15 Mrs. Mullen 1:15-2:00 Mrs. Brock ~PE Schedule~ PE: Students will need athletic type shoes, no slip-ons or sandals. Week of August 31st 8:45-9:30 Mrs. Martin 9:30-10:15 Mrs. VW and Mrs. Wilkes 10:15-11:00 Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Wilkes 11:45-12:30 Ms. Curtiss 12:30-1:15 Mrs. Willis 1:15-2:00 Mr. Bryner ~NEW NEWS~ ~Current/Upcoming News~ “Nature and You” Rainforest Festival Annabelle Baker Memorial Art Show: Sept. 9 -13 @ Clausen Memorial Museum 10am-5pm Artist Reception & Virtual Ephemeral Viewing: Friday, Sept.10 from 5pm-7pm Best-Burger-in-a-Bun Fundraiser for Mitkof Dance Troupe! Come on down to the Salty Pantry on Sunday, August 29th from 5:30-7:30 for a yummy meal! $15 gets you a cheeseburger, chips, drink and homemade cookie - GF option, milkshakes and extra burgers available. ~News From the Lunchroom~ Breakfast The Petersburg School Board has approved our school as a “Universal Breakfast” school. This means we will be serving most students breakfast in their classrooms. Kindergarten students will be served breakfast in the cafeteria for routine and structure. Students in 2nd and 3rd grade will be served breakfast in the cafeteria due to morning interventions in those grade levels. Some breakfast options they may see are cinnamon roll, cereal, bagel bites, string cheese, sausage, english muffin, yogurt with granola, and Pop Tarts. Lunch All students will be eating lunch in the cafeteria. Recess/Lunch Schedule Kindergarten 11:15-11:35 Recess 11:35-11:55 Lunch 1st Grade 10:50-11:10 Recess 11:10-11:30 Lunch 2nd Grade 11:05-11:25 Recess 11:25-11:45 Lunch 3rd Grade 11:40-12:00 Recess 12:00-12:20Lunch 4th Grade 11:30-11:50 Recess 11:50-12:10 Lunch 5th Grade 12:20-12:40 Recess 12:40-1:00 Lunch Lunch Menu: https://www.pcsd.us/dining Monday 8/30 No School Tuesday 8/31 Enchilada Wednesday 9/1 Chicken Noodle Soup Thursday 9/2 Biscuits and Gravy Friday 9/3 No School ~News From the Counselor~ Newsletter from our Counselor. Mrs. Etcher works with all grades on social emotional skills, and she would like to share a monthly newsletter with families. The idea is to keep everyone updated on lessons she is teaching each month. Website: https://sites.google.com/pcsd.us/stedman-elementary-counselor/monthly-newsletter ~Safety Information~ Important safety information: When dropping students off at the playground end, please note that there is a designated drop-off area marked by the side of the playground fence and green cones. Vehicles enter the area following the arrows and drop off students between the cones and the fence. Students go directly to the playground area, and vehicles immediately drive through and exit, alleviating congestion and keeping the area safe. If you wish to escort your child or wait and watch your child enter the school, you will need to find a parking spot. Thank you for helping us keep all students safe. Travelled in the last few days? The school is strongly recommending PCR testing prior to arrival at school. Several of the recent Petersburg cases have been travel-related. The school is already being impacted. Help keep kids in their classrooms by testing before coming to school. Free travel testing is available at the PMC ER entrance from noon-4 pm Monday-Saturday or call the Covid Info Line at 772-5788. Please see the attached documents outlining protocols for masking, testing, travel, and close contacts/positive cases, as well as the symptom-free school protocol. These protocols are subject to change as new guidance is released or transmission rates change. PSD will notify the public of any updates or changes via pcsd.us website, email, and social media. ~Happy Birthday to Who?~ We would like to wish the following students a Happy Birthday! Birthdays are recognized during morning announcements, and each student also receives a special certificate and a Scholastic Book from the birthday shelf. August 8/31 Rosie L. September 9/1 Quincy R. 9/2 Aalthea F. 9/9 Neil L. 9/9 Serenity V. 9/10 Kayden T. 9/12 Freya F. 9/12 Victoria O. 9/15 Aldric J. 9/16 Cruz S. 9/18 Cora H. 9/19 Elijah P. 9/20 Leonah S. 9/20 Riley S. 9/23 Future T. 9/24 Julia C-L 9/27 Audrey B. 9/29 Olivia O. See You Soon, Mrs. Conn

First Day of School August 31st for 1st - 12th grade and Sept 1st for Kindergarten!

Contact information for Board Members can be found at this link https://www.pcsd.us/page/school-board

Did someone say Free Breakfast and Lunch? We are happy to say your school morning prep just got easier. School Breakfast and Lunch will be Free for ALL students for the ' 21-'22 school year. However, we still need families to apply for free and reduced-priced meals! This ensures our continued eligibility for many programs, helps students become eligible for possible fee waivers and helps enroll students into the Pandemic-EBT program through the State of Alaska. Additional Federal EBT dollars were sent out to qualified individuals last year, but only to those that had previously applied. Apply today! Please apply for benefits at schoolcafe.com If you need assistance please email Carlee Johnson McIntosh at cjohnson@pcsd.us or call 1-877-526-7656 x212

UPDATE: There are a few spots for the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccination (and other teen vaccinations) tonight at the Middle/High School Health and Resource Fair, Sports Physical slots are full. Please contact Mara Lutomski at 907-302-2361 or exec@pcsd.us to sign up for a spot! 3-7pm

PHS Registration and laptop rollouts are happening next week. 9th grade and new students on Mon, 12th & 11th grade on Tuesday, 10th grade on Wed, and Thursday is Open registration. Check out the link to more information below: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-LX68WR-G7T3y9ToviHLlTlxIX4SgYny6L-qwS8TRbw/edit?usp=sharing

Registration for Mitkof Middle is next week. Sixth grade and new students on Mon, Eighth on Tues, Seventh on Wed, and Thurs is open registration. See the link below for all the details. PSD is universally masking in all buildings. First day of school is Tues, Aug 31st. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KBMjT1MRoHLGsUzyybeyXiNtWo6Ez5aTTC7jzzfqRLA/edit?usp=sharing

Elementary School Parents! First Day of School is August 31st! (Kindergarten on Sept 1st) To register a new student or Kindergartner at Stedman Elementary, please stop by the office at 303 Dolphin Street between 8 am- Noon or 1 pm - 4 pm before August 27th. Returning students do not need to register in person, however if your student did not attend last year, they need to re-enroll for this year. New students will need to provide a current immunization record and birth certificate (a legible copy is ok). *If you have any questions, please call Cena at the elementary office - 907-302-2385 or 877-526-7656 ext. 400

The Health and Family Resource Fair for Middle/High School students will be Monday August 23rd from 3pm-7pm in the High School commons. Free vaccinations, sports physicals, and additional health information from community partners will be provided. Sports physicals and vaccinations are free but require an appointment, please call or text Mara @ 907-302-2361 to secure your students' slot.

We are loving our new app! Access documents, news updates, and even emergency notifications, right from your pocket. Download the app on Android: https://bit.ly/3vScKMy or iPhone: https://apple.co/3ulgvtq.